Supper club to bring new flare

Lebanon business owner Jon Kodi will look to rejuvenate the appeal to supper clubs with his new venue, J.K.’s Supper Club, which will be on Legends Drive.

“From the 1930s to about the 1960s, supper clubs were popular places where a lot of stars, such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, would pop up for nothing and play while people were eating,” Kodi said. “They were great entertainers, and it was just a great environment.”

J.K.’s Supper Club will be adjacent to Demos’ Restaurant and look to bring the same vibe from supper clubs’ heydays with new, popular music in country, rock, jazz and blues. The venue will feature rotating musicians and house bands, as well as comedians and other entertainers.

Kodi said the venue would be “more upscale,” with guests abiding by a dress code. The venue’s feature dishes will be steak, sushi and seafood, with plans for renowned sushi chef Danny Lee to join the team, according to Kodi.

“This town needs it,” said Kodi, who said he believes the venue could pull guests from Nashville, Mt. Juliet, Gallatin and other surrounding areas.

“You won’t have to fight traffic like downtown Nashville and worry about parking. With the new roadway being built and businesses on Legends Drive, I think everyone could benefit, and it would be a great thing,” Kodi said.

Other aspects of the two-story venue include indoor and outdoor dining, outdoor water features, private-party space and a mezzanine with a direct view to a sound stage. The venue, which will accommodate 450 people, will also feature open spaces to view food preparations.

“I feel like being able to see people prepare your food is entertainment in its own form, as well,” Kodi said.

Kodi said the venue would cater to those who want to add visual and sonic entertainment to their dinner.

“The problem with a lot of Nashville venues is they’re taking old, existing warehouse buildings and converting them into music venues, but don’t do anything for acoustics,” Kodi said. “This building will be designed acoustically to provide a nice, rich sound.”

Kodi said the venue would feature photographs of music greats, courtesy of his mother, who was a photographer for the Palm Springs Life magazine.

“People can walk around and point at the pictures and say, ‘Oh. I remember so and so,’” he said.

Kodi said he believes the venue has the ability to pull some entertainment from Music City and shine a spotlight on artists and features east of Nashville.

“I’m very excited to do it. There are a lot of architectural aspects that I think people will enjoy. I like stepping out on the limb a little bit, and I don’t mind doing that,” he said.

Kodi is the creator of the award-winning Kodi Klip, which replaces welding and tie wire methods for securing rebar.

The Lebanon Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan for the project Tuesday.